Conservative groups and critics of President Obama’s climate rules want Wednesday night’s GOP debate to center on the high cost of environmental regulation, and the economic damage that comes from moving too far, too fast on emissions reductions to combat global warming.
The conservative think tank American Energy Alliance sent out documents Tuesday night detailing how the 14 presidential contenders at the debate in Boulder, Colo., should address the high cost of climate rules as they answer questions about the economy, which is the focus of the CNBC-hosted forum.
“During the debate, CNBC plans to ask questions about key issues like taxes, job growth and the overall health of our national economy,” the group said. “While all these issues warrant discussion, let us not forget about one of the largest threats facing our economic future: President Obama’s so-called ‘Clean Power Plan.'”
The group said the rule would cost $366 billion, which breaks down to about $41 billion per year.
The Clean Power Plan orders states to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants one-third by 2030.
Since Friday, 26 states have sued the Environmental Protection Agency in an almost unprecedented showing of opposition to the climate rule.
The Republican leadership in the Senate opposes the rule, introducing legislation Tuesday with 49 supporters to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules, even though it will certainly be vetoed by the president.
Nevertheless, the legal claims against the rule argue that because the EPA plan seeks to regulate greenhouse gas emissions through the states, and not individual power plants, it oversteps the agency’s authority and is an affront to states’ rights while driving up power costs.
“Every way you look at it, Obama’s new carbon regulations are a looming disaster for our economy, especially the poor and middle class,” the American Energy Alliance said. “To start, they’re some of the costliest regulations in U.S. history.”
The group cites a study by the National Black Chamber of Commerce that estimates that the regulations will raise the poverty rate for African-American households by 23 percent and Hispanic households by 26 percent.
“The potential jobs lost are unacceptable: energy policies that could cost seven million jobs for African Americans and 12 million for Hispanics simply aren’t fair,” the group says.
A coal industry advocacy group, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, is urging GOP front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson to raise the Clean Power Plan during the debate and get the other candidates to oppose the rules.
“We can think of no better time for Mr. Trump and Dr. Carson to make their opposition known,” said Laura Sheehan, the coal group’s vice president of communications. “If they fail to speak up, they are failing voters in search of a sensible and balanced energy policy.”
The American Energy Alliance went even further, providing the words the candidates should actually say.
The groups provide two responses the candidates could use:
“As a candidate, I urge states to stand together and protect their citizens from Obama’s devastating carbon regulations. States have a right to not implement these regulations until courts decide the issue and they should exercise that right.”
The response adopts Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s calls for states to resist the regulations.
“As president, I would do everything in my power to undo these regulations and prevent the harm they would cause. We all want a clean environment and a healthy planet for future generations. But the fact is that these regulations go about it in the wrong way.
“Not only would they cost hundreds of billions of dollars, but they would bring great harm to the hard-working families that need the most help. And for what? Even the EPA’s own model shows that they won’t make a real difference in global temperature.”
“That’s not smart energy policy. That’s asking Americans to endure a lot of pain for basically no gain. Americans deserve better than that.”
